


Braun Family Secrets

by Goid



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Incest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-27
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-13 12:35:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29028798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Goid/pseuds/Goid
Summary: Reiner is a broken man.Gabi wants extra training to inherit the Armored Titan.The cousin's relationship blossoms from the extra time spent together.
Relationships: Reiner Braun / Gabi Braun
Comments: 19
Kudos: 23





	1. Chapter 1

Come home.

It’s all Reiner had wanted to do for years. He dreamt about it while on the island, about his mother and her cooking, his extended family he used to visit and play with. But that had all been memories for the past four years.

But now it wasn’t. He had come back home, narrowly escaping with his life back to Marley. He lost all three of his comrades during their mission. But he was determined to make sure their sacrifices weren’t in vain. 

When he arrived home with Zeke, the internment zone had thrown a large parade for the heroes’ welcome home party, with Zeke, Reiner, and Pieck all sitting tall on a make-shift parade float as it drifted through the streets. 

Reiner was given many gifts that day, told he could come in and eat or drink anything he wanted at several different establishments, and given compliments and hailed as a hero by almost everyone he interacted with that day.

But it all felt hollow. The things he had done, the people he killed, even if inadvertently. Along with the deaths of his three teammates, everything felt so heavy on his shoulders that these tokens of favor, these gifts and medals meant nothing in comparison. 

Reiner spent his first week or so mindlessly wandering the internment zone, doing what he thought he needed to do to keep up appearances, but he didn’t enjoy any of it. He felt empty, hollow. 

‘Maybe I’ll end my life in a couple of days, somewhere peaceful’ Reiner thought to himself as he settled into bed after another long, boring day full of honor from others that fell on deaf ears. The only thing that stopped him was the kids. The warrior candidates. They were all good kids, and one of them needed to eat him to get his power. If he just killed himself none of them would get it. At least not when they deserved it.

The following day Gabi approached him when he was alone. It was a rare brief moment when he hadn’t been pestered by one of the locals and he got some time to think. He was thankful for it. Until Gabi interrupted it. 

“Hey, Mr. Braun,” Gabi said, walking up to Reiner as he sat alone on a secluded rooftop at the edge of the internment zone, slowly eating his lunch. 

“Oh, hey, Gabi,” Reiner said, turning around to see his cousin walking towards him. 

“Eating lunch up here all alone, Mr. Braun?” Gabi asked. 

“Cut it out with the formalities, we are cousins. Just call me Reiner.” Reiner rolled his eyes. “But yes.” 

“Mind if I join you?” Gabi asked.

“I don’t see why not,” Reiner said, scooting over and offering her a seat.

“So, why are you all by yourself up here?” Gabi asked.

“To get away, some time to think,” Reiner responded looking out over the city. “How did you find me, anyway?” 

“Followed you,” Gabi said smugly. 

“I see. But what for?” Reiner asked. His lunchbox was sitting open between them and he caught Gabi eyeing an apple he hadn’t gotten to yet. Reiner reached down and picked up the apple before holding it out to her. “Here, take it.” 

“Thanks,” Gabi said, greedily snatching the apple before biting into it. While still chewing she continued. “Well, I wanted to catch you alone to ask you something.” 

“Ask me what?” Reiner asked.

“Well, you know how me, Falco, Udo, and Zofia are all candidates right? Well, It’s not as if I’m afraid I'm not going to make the cut, but I figure I might as well use every advantage I have. So I thought, you are my cousin, maybe you could give me some tips, or better yet, training? Something to show off to the brass and boost my chances of being the candidate picked even more.” Gabi explained.

“Hmm…” Reiner hummed as he contemplated. The armored titan was a very heavy burden to bear. He knew that whoever was picked to inherit it would have another thirteen years to live. Maximum. He also knew the military would send them into every-changing warzones that had more and more deadly weapons specifically designed to kill titans, and the chances of that candidate living out their thirteen years were slim. In all honesty, he wanted Gabi to get the titan the least because she was family. 

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Reiner finally says.

“Oh come on, please?” Gabi stuck out her lower lip and got her big eyes to plead. Reiner was about to turn her down when he looked at her, and her big doe eyes. Reiner sighed.

“Fine…” Reiner said. “Meet me here tomorrow at lunch.”

“Thank you, Reiner!” Gabi said in a happy squeal. 

~

The next day the two of them met up on that rooftop once again. Gabi had a determined fiery look in her eye. She had brought lunch, but also some books, possibly to take notes if needed. Reiner gave a soft chuckle at this, he never saw himself as the teacher or mentor type. But circumstances forced him into the role, so he would play it as best as possible. 

“Ready to begin?” Reiner asked. Gabi nodded. 

They proceeded to do about an hour of extra training. Because it was the first day, Reiner had her show him what she had picked up already from her candidate training. As far as her knowledge on anti-titan measures employed by other nations, as well as what she knew about hand-to-hand combat. 

He had her show him her fighting stance, and ran a couple of simulation fights, such as saying ‘if someone goes for a kick to your midsection, what would be the best counter?’ He would then explain the right answer if she didn’t know.

“Reiner, why are you teaching me hand-to-hand combat?” Gabi asked in the middle of the lesson. 

“Because, not all the titans belong to Marley anymore, and you will more than likely have to take them on head-to-head,” Reiner said in a grim tone. 

Before they knew it, the hour was up, and it was time to part ways for the day. Gabi thanked him again before heading off, asking if he was able to meet tomorrow at the same time for more training. Reiner begrudgingly accepted. 

~

The next day was more lecture, this time about the island Eldian’s ODM gear. 

“You mean the devils on the island also designed technology to kill titans?” Gabi asked, surprised.

It hurt Reiner to hear her still refer to his old teammates, his old friends, as devils. 

“Yes, that’s right,” Reiner said with a sigh. Before explaining how the gear worked.

Another lunchtime flew by as Reiner instructed her. And again, Gabi asked if she could continue her special training. Reiner accepted, regardless of who he wanted to inherit the titan, it wasn’t his call to make, and he was enjoying spending time with Gabi anyway. Surely it couldn’t hurt. 

Gabi left the rooftop and walked back home. On the way, she was going over the devils’ battle tactics, but there was something else in her head, something else sticking out to her that felt odd. It was her admiration for her cousin. Yes, that was it, it was how much she respected Reiner, not only for being a warrior and making their whole family honorary Marleans, but also the gratitude she had for him taking out the time from his day to help her also become a warrior. Gabi smiled warmly as she thought of Reiner for the remainder of her trip back home. 

‘I need to think of some way to repay him.” Gabi thought.

~

One more day or training, this time it was more hands-on training, with Reiner showing her fighting positions and how to angel her arms and legs for the best force and center of gravity. For many of the stances, Reiner would simply overlay his hands over his fists and show her the correct way to stand. 

Gabi found herself blushing during this, but not necessarily out of embarrassment. It felt good to have him do this for her, to care about her enough to teach her. She was having trouble focusing, though. As her mind was flooded with thoughts of Reiner, the way he felt, the way he smelled, it was intoxicating. It was such a strange new feeling that Gabi didn’t understand. 

With Gabi barely able to concentrate on the lesson, they called it early for the day. As they were packing up, though. Reiner suddenly broke the silence. 

“Gabi, I can’t keep training you.” Reiner suddenly said. 

“What? Why not?” Gabi’s voice trembled with concern. “Did I do something wrong?” 

“What? No, no. You did everything perfectly fine.” Reiner said.

“Then why won’t you keep helping me?” Gabi asked, her brow furrowed.

“Because…” Reiner takes a second and looks up at the cloudless sky. “It’s a huge burden.” 

“What are you talking about?” Gabi asked.

“This titan has hung heavy on my shoulders for years. When I was over on the island, I met so many people and was responsible for so many deaths. Of people, I never knew, and would never meet.” Reiner began. “It tore me up inside, what I did, and what I had to keep doing. For so long all I wanted to do was come back home, but I couldn’t. And I know if you get my titan, the same thing is going to happen to you. 

“But…” Gabi started stepping in close. 

“I don’t want you to die, Gabi. You are special to me, and I care about you!” Reiner stoops down and grabs Gabi’s shoulders. “Don’t you see? I’m doing this for you! Let one of your friends inherit-” 

Gabi suddenly leans in and kisses him, mid-sentence, cutting him off. Reiner is shocked, wide-eyed. He slowly looked at Gabi as she pulled away. Gabi’s eyes slowly peeked open and her lips unpursed.

“Wha- Why did you…” Reiner starts. His expression is one of utter confusion, it wasn’t the reaction Gabi was hoping for.

“Y-You just said I’m special to you, that you care about me. I feel the same way, I like you a lot Reiner. I don’t know, I wasn’t thinking, It just happened.” Gabi blurted out. 

“I didn’t… '' Reiner started, before sighing and averting his gaze. Gabi’s eyes blazed with passion. They were too much to take. Reiner didn’t want to disappoint her, but he had to get this misunderstanding out of the way or it could wreck everything. 

“I didn’t mean it like that,” Reiner whispered, looking at the ground. 

“What do you mean…?” Gabi asked.

“Gabi we are family, we can’t… do that.” Reiner tried to explain.

“What do you mean? Mom and Dad kiss all the time and they are family.” Gabi protested. 

“Hah.” Reiner let out a short laugh. “It’s different. Besides, I’m an old geezer now, shouldn’t you like boys your age? What about Falco or Udo?” 

Gabi sticks out her tongue as she makes a disgusted face. “Yeah right! They are my friends, that would be weird. Besides,” There was a pause for a moment as she contemplated her next words. “I don't feel about them the way I do about you…”

“You would want… someone like me?” Reiner asked, a bit taken aback. Gabi nods vigorously. Reiner smiled, looking at the earth. It felt strange, but good at the same time, to know he was wanted, he was valued, even if it was by a small child, even by his own family. Hadn’t this had been what he wanted all along? To be seen as somebody important and respected? This is what had been missing, even when he returned from the island, even though people had hailed him as a hero in the internment zone, he still hadn’t felt this sense of self-worth. 

Reiner knew he couldn’t start a relationship with Gabi, but this warmth in his chest got the better of him and tempted him to indulge a little long. Surely, going on one little faux “date” with Gabi wouldn’t be the end of the world. And to outsiders, it would just look like an uncle showing his niece a good time. Nothing malicious about that.


	2. Movie Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reiner and Gabi go on their 'faux date'.

Three days later.

Reiner was waiting for about fifteen minutes outside the theater. He was sweating perpetually, not because of the heat, but because of nerves. This was risky, stupid. He thought about leaving, running away from this place before Gabi arrived, making some excuse. 

“Reiner, hey!” a shrill voice came from the crowd. 

‘Too late.’ 

Gabi walked up to him, she was wearing something different than her normal candidate clothes, a more formal yellow dress, even.

“Hi, Gabi,” Reiner said. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen that dress before.” 

“Haha, do you like it?” Gabi gave a little twirl. “Apparently it’s an old one of Mom’s.” 

“It looks good,” Reiner reassured her. 

“I’m glad you think so.” Gabi smiled. “So, what was the plan for today? You told me to meet you at the theatre, so I can assume you wanted to see a movie?” 

“Y-yeah, I just haven’t seen one in such a long time, I thought maybe it would be nice to do it again after all this time,” Reiner said.

“That’s fine with me, as long as you buy me some candy, that is,” Gabi said. 

“Sure, whatever you want.” Reiner nodded as the two of them got into the ticket booth line. 

There were several people in front of them, and they stood side-by-side for a long moment before getting up to the counter. 

“Two, please,” Reiner said, pulling out his wallet. The booth attendant gave him two ticket stubs and some change. 

Upon entering the building proper, they were greeted by a small lobby with a vendor selling concessions. Gabi immediately started eyeing their goods. She and Reiner got in line for another minute or so before getting to the front of that line. 

“What do you want, Gabi?” Reiner asked.

Gabi looked over the food before pointing out one, a small box of chewy caramels. Reiner paid and passed the box to Gabi who graciously accepted them. Leaving the line, the two of them walked to the entrance to the theatre proper, which was essentially just a large dark room with plenty of seating and a large screen in the front. The two walked down an aisle and found a pair of seats near the back of the room. 

The two settled down into their seats and waited for the show to start. They chatted with one another for a little bit, but Reiner was distracted. He simply couldn’t get his mind off the inevitable question of ‘how far do I take this?’ He knew he couldn’t do or start anything with gabi, and he knew that this whole charade would have to come to an end. But when? Sooner rather than later would be better, he figured simply because it didn’t get Gabi enough time to really get accustomed to this, their ‘relationship’ whatever she thought of it. 

‘After the movie’ Reiner told himself. ‘On the walk home, I will just tell her “I hope you had a good time, but we can’t do this anymore.” I need to shut this stuff down before she gets any more funny ideas.’ 

With that in mind, it made the movie a little hard to enjoy, as Reiner was dreading the walk home. He wasn’t sure how Gabi would react. Maybe anger, crying. He just didn’t know, the psyche of a young girl was a mystery. 

Gabi and Reiner watched the movie together. It was a murder-mystery type movie with a lot of twists and turns. Every once in a while Gabi would lean over and whisper a question about characters or plot to Reiner who would give her a short simple answer. Gabi ate her caramels quickly, happily munching on them as the movie played. The Movie ended after about ninety minutes, with the murderer being the one Reiner suspected from the start, but Gabi seemed shocked, so she probably had a good time. At least Reiner assumed. 

As the movie ended, the crowd began to filter out of the theatre. They walked out of the building and found that the sun was hanging low in the sky. They began their walk back to Gabi’s house, it was about a twenty-minute walk. Gabi waited until they were out of earshot before breaking the silence. She started by reaching out and gently placing her hand in Reiners, lightly squeezing it. Reiner glanced at Gabi before smiling and tightening his grip. 

“I had fun tonight, Reiner…” Gabi spoke.

“Good… good.” Reiner gulped. He knew now was the time he was going to have to break her heart.

“I’m surprised, though…” Gabi said.

“Huh? About what?’ Reiner asked.

“You seemed so… nervous about all this the other day, but you seemed better tonight,” Gabi said.

“About that…” Reiner started.

“Hmm?” 

“This is going to have to be a one-time thing,” Reiner said, averting his eyes. He felt Gabi’s hand tighten around his. She stopped walking and turned towards him.

“What do you mean?” Gabi asked.

“We… can’t do this again.” Reiner spat out the words.

“Why not? Did you not have a good time?” Gabi asked, her brow furrowed.

“Well, yes, but that’s not the point. We just can’t continue down this road. It’s wrong. And then there is always the risk of something finding out…” Reiner said in a low tone. 

Gabi opened her mouth, ready to retort before softening her expression.

“I see.” Gabi offered. There was a slight silence between them. 

“You aren’t mad?” Reiner finally asked.

“No… Sad, a little disappointed, but not mad.” Gabi said. 

“Why not?” Reiner asked.

“Because I think I understand where you are coming from,” Gabi said. “I guess it was stupid of me to think it would turn out different.” 

Reiner was quiet for a moment before speaking up again. “I’m glad that you understand.” 

Reiner walked Gabi back to her home and saw her off. As Gabi’s mother thanked Reiner for spending time with her daughter, wished him goodnight, and closed the door, Reiner couldn’t help but feel a tinge of regret for his actions.


End file.
